The literary opener for essays is pretty much exactly like the literary opener for a literary paragraph.
In the first sentence of the introduction, you must mention the full name of the author (although she will be referred to by her last name for the rest of your essay), the kind of work you are discussing (poem, novel, short story, etc) and its title (correctly punctuated!). See the examples below:
Poem:
Emily Dickenson writes of the fragility of hope in her poem, "Hope is the Thing with Feathers".
Short story:
In "The Hockey Sweater", a short story by Roch Carrier, the main character is torn between his own poverty and showing respect for his parents on the one hand, and peer approval and self-respect on the other.
Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel which clearly shows one girl's transition from being an innocent, heedless child to becoming an aware, participating member of her community.
You can even follow this formula if necessary:
(author's name) 's (type of work), (title) (rephrase the question).
Example:
Question: Explain the irony in Joe Smith's poem, "Not a Poem".
Joe Smith's poem, "Not a Poem" is extremely ironic.
[note: this is a pretty feeble intro sentence. It would have to be followed by the rest of the introduction, which should kick some serious English-analysis butt.]
Punctuating the Title of the Work I'm Discussing__
This is a lot easier than students think.
Be sure you spell (and capitalise) the title and author's name exactly. Copy them off the title page or cover of the work! If there is punctuation in the title or name, don't change it.
If the title is for a very short work (short story, poem, song, TV episode, chapter, essay) it goes in short little marks: "Title Here" (quotation marks!!).
If the title is for a long work (novel, TV series, album, book of poetry, essays or short stories) it has one long mark: Title Here (underline).
(Note: since underlining something is proofreading code for put this in italics, long works' titles may also be italicised.)
In the first sentence of the introduction, you must mention the full name of the author (although she will be referred to by her last name for the rest of your essay), the kind of work you are discussing (poem, novel, short story, etc) and its title (correctly punctuated!). See the examples below:
Poem:
Emily Dickenson writes of the fragility of hope in her poem, "Hope is the Thing with Feathers".
Short story:
In "The Hockey Sweater", a short story by Roch Carrier, the main character is torn between his own poverty and showing respect for his parents on the one hand, and peer approval and self-respect on the other.
Novel:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel which clearly shows one girl's transition from being an innocent, heedless child to becoming an aware, participating member of her community.
You can even follow this formula if necessary:
(author's name) 's (type of work), (title) (rephrase the question).
Example:
Question: Explain the irony in Joe Smith's poem, "Not a Poem".
Joe Smith's poem, "Not a Poem" is extremely ironic.
[note: this is a pretty feeble intro sentence. It would have to be followed by the rest of the introduction, which should kick some serious English-analysis butt.]
Punctuating the Title of the Work I'm Discussing__
This is a lot easier than students think.